It is convenient and easy to dismiss educational
videos as uninteresting, dull and boring. But trust the House
of Mouse to always surprise us with something fresh and interesting
for the young ones. Parents can safely leave the pre-schoolers
in front of the television set without worrying about what
unhealthy and unintended messages the programmes may instill
in the kids. (There are debates to how television shouldn’t
be a substitute for proper parenting, but that’s another
issue altogether).

There
are three episodes of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”
featured in this disc. This children’s TV series broadcast
on Playhouse Disney Channel features Mickey and his friends
in a dome-like clubhouse which they summon every episode.
Running at 24 minutes each, the episodes are inspired by classic
storybook adventures and given the “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”
treatment (for the scriptwriters to get creative) to captivate
the young ones.

The
first, “Minnie Red Riding Hood”, has Mickey and
the gang sending a special “Minnie-Strone” soup
to the sick Goofy. Along the way, they meet the hungry Pete,
who repeatedly tries to take the soup away. The second, “Donald
the Frog Prince”, sees Donald being turned into a frog
and having to rescue Princess Daisy. The third, “Sleeping
Minnie”, is, well, about Minnie who has fallen into
a deep sleep and the gang has to wake her up.

Each
episode introduces concepts like mathematics, shapes and colors
to the viewers – and in an engaging way too. Those at
home are expected to response to the questions Mickey and
his friends pose, and they return praises too (this will get
the young ones really excited – Mickey is talking to
them from inside the television screen!)

The
cynical viewer in you may scoff at these synopses, but considering
the target audience of these stories, they do work pretty
well. Viewers who are familiar with the show will be shouting
the perfectly-rhymed phrases shouting “Meeska Mooska
Mickey Mouse” and “Oh, toodles!” together
with the characters. Don’t be surprised if you find
your kid dancing along to the “Hot Dog” dance
at the end of every episode.

We
know this is no Pixar production, but the well-paced episodes
and the clean animation is good enough to captivate the young
ones’ imagination. Who knows, the kid in you may be
joining in the fun.

SPECIAL FEATURES :

This Code 3 DVD contains a Game Time “Interactive
Fairy Tale: Tales from Toodles” where kids
can decide how they want the story to turn out by choosing
different tools and gadgets. A 24-minute Bonus Episode “Little
Einsteins Brothers and Sisters to the Rescue”
is also included on the disc. The animated series broadcast
on Playhouse Disney Channel is a joy to watch. In this particular
episode, learn about German folk art piece and Ludwig van
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Also, check out the “Sneak
Peeks” section where you can watch previews
of 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, Wall E and more.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The disc’s visual transfer is pristine and crisp, and
there are 2.0 Stereo English, Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean,
Spanish and Portuguese audio tracks to choose from.